17.11.17

Several feared dead as helicopter and plane collide in mid-air over Rothschild family's Buckinghamshire country house

No fewer than four people are feared dead after a light aircraft and a
helicopter crashed in mid-air over Buckinghamshire this afternoon.
Locals living near the historic Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire
heard a loud bang shortly after midday and came out to see wreckage from
both aircraft believed to have fallen from the sky. Both aircraft
involved had taken off from Wycombe Air Park, which is 16 miles to the
south east of the estate, and were flying at low altitude.

At the time of the crash, the grand Waddesdon Manor, which was used
in the filming of The Crown and The Queen, was hosting a Christmas
Market. Fire engines and search and rescue vehicles rushed to the scene
of the crash at around 12.06 p.m. and rescue workers launched the fire
brigade drone over the fallen wreckage to help in the search for
survivors. Staff from the Waddesdon Estate were on ground to help direct
emergency vehicles to the scene of the tragedy as police threw up a
massive cordon around the area to preserve the scene.
Staff from the Air Accident Investigation Branch were also drafted
into the area to begin an inquiry into what led to the mid-air
collision. Sources said that it was believed there were multiple
casualties, believed to be fatalities.

A local resident told MailOnline: "My father heard a loud bang. My
mother said a man, who I think was someone who had been out walking
nearby, then went running up to the manor to say there had been a
crash. It didn't happen directly over the grounds, but in woodland
nearby. My father ran up to the scene. Everyone is helping the emergency
services."
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police confirmed the incident on Facebook.

A spokesman for the AAIB said: "The Air Accidents Investigation
Branch is sending a team to investigate a mid-air collision involving an
aircraft and a helicopter near Aylesbury."